You can help low-income single mom replace broken fridge

Six years ago, Kim Misko moved to Holstein in western Iowa to help care for her mom after a heart attack. Her mom had several serious health issues, so taking care of her was nearly a 24/7 job shared by Misko and her dad until her mom’s death in November at age 50.

Misko and her two daughters live in a 100-year-old house owned by her dad. It had a variety of problems including broken windows, a front door that doesn’t close well, a temperamental furnace and a refrigerator on its last legs.

Between being a single parent and caring for her mom, Misko’s schedule allowed her only a part-time job. She didn’t have the money, time or energy to take care of fixing things at home.

But since her mom’s death, Misko has turned her focus back to the home front. She has a bit more free time and energy now, but money is still tight. That’s why she was glad to find out about Embrace Iowa. She applied for a new refrigerator through the program and is still waiting to find out whether she’s going to receive it.

“Sometimes the refrigerator quits working and I have to unplug it and plug it back in to get it going again,” Misko says. “It’s not as cold as it should be, and I’ve had food spoil. With two kids in the house, it would be so great to come home and not have to worry about whether the milk is ruined.

Misko continued: “I’m grateful for programs like Embrace Iowa, and also for Mid-Sioux Opportunity that helps me with food and with my heating bill. They’re the ones who told me about the Embrace Iowa program. Without help from programs like this, I don’t know how my kids and I would get by.”

How you can help: The Des Moines Register's Embrace Iowa campaign has been helping low-income families at or below 200 percent of federal poverty guidelines meet their basic needs for more than 30 years.

The program helps fill in the gaps by providing up to $500 to pay for things like working appliances, beds, medical and prescription expenses, eye glasses, car repairs, and even rent or utilities if the family has gotten behind.

Last year $224,086 was raised for Embrace Iowa and was distributed to 621 Iowa families – far fewer than the number of families who applied. The goal this year is to raise $410,000, to leave no applicants out in the cold. The more money raised by the campaign, the more help the fund can give to applicants struggling to make ends meet this year.

Donate online at crowdrise.com/embraceiowa, or checks can be mailed with the form accompanying this story to Embrace Iowa, 1620 Pleasant St., Suite 214, Des Moines, IA 50314.

One-hundred percent of donations are used to help the applicants, not to pay staff or agency costs. Following your donation, a letter will be mailed for tax purposes.